Nichols struggled with his control in a disastrous trial with the Indians in 1988 after starting the season on the DL, but did have three complete games. His solid performance in 1989 while Greg Swindell was on the DL won him a spot in the rotation; Nichols finished 4-6 with a 4.40 ERA. The superstitious righty, who once tried to flush his glove down the toilet, went 0-13 in his next 13 decisions, not earning a victory until he wore Swindell’s socks for good luck. (SFS/JT)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»July 17, 1991:
Cleveland defeats Oakland, 2-1, as Indians hurler Rod Nichols gets the victory and breaks a personal 13-game losing streak dating back to September 1989.
»July 7, 1993: In LA, the Phillies defeat the Dodgers, 7-6, in a 20 inning marathon when Dykstra hits a bases-loaded 2-run double off Rod Nichols. The game takes six hours and 10 minutes, and concludes at 1:47 AM. The Phils Mitch Williams blows a 5–3 lead in the 9th, allowing a hit and walking three before being ejected by Jim Quick. Afterwards, John Kruk says, "I came here and I wanted to kill Mitch, but they told me it was against the law." Phils rookie Kevin Stocker makes his ML debut, playing all 20 innings.
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